[News] UPD: Calgary City Council approves exploratory bid study for 2026 Olympics

[RM14]

Dead-mans flats + Pigeon Mountain might be a good area. Dead-mans is dying to develop and Pigeon Mountain has an alpine site already carved out. Would not add to the chaos at the Nordic Centre.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@51.03028.../data=!3m1!1e3

[the-rasta-masta]

Originally Posted by RM14

Dead-mans flats + Pigeon Mountain might be a good area. Dead-mans is dying to develop and Pigeon Mountain has an alpine site already carved out. Would not add to the chaos at the Nordic Centre.

I've always heard that site was built on the wrong side of the mountain. Too much sun to maintain the snow well.

[RM14]

Originally Posted by the-rasta-masta

I've always heard that site was built on the wrong side of the mountain. Too much sun to maintain the snow well.

You are correct.. Interesting read here...

http://www.nelsap.org/ab/pigeon.html


Anyone know if ski jumps are dependent on natural snow?

[Fuzz]

It doesn't get much snowfall either. I have a vague memory of skiing there once. It might be OK, but then why not build it at Nakiska? I wonder if that slope on the shoulder is steep enough that they could use a lot more natural terrain and take it down after?

I can't embed, but this image:

https://www.google.ca/maps/uv?hl=en&...ALIQpx8ImgEwCw

Up higher it looks like a natural bowl, which might work well.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

John Shannon @JSportsnet
Chris Overholt of the COC tells PrimeTime Sports, the potential Olympic bid of 2026 for Calgary does not contemplate a new arena, at this point.

This is a huge piece of information in my opinion.

[Roughneck]

Originally Posted by CorbeauNoir

An Olympics bid in earlier years would have deemed the Oval's seating capacity to be insufficiently small and would have required either building a new facility or somehow substantially enlarging the existing one. And regarding it's use as a WC venue, I offer a direct quote from the aforementioned article:

The suitability of a venue for a WC event evidently has no particular bearing on it's suitability for a Olympics event.

Thankfully under the current, more lenient IOC requirements nothing substantial would have to be done to the current Oval regardless.

So no I don't see any issue at all in making the comparison in infrastructure, especially when the supposed point of Calgary bidding at all was supposed to be on it's "budget" approach. What I wasn't aware of was the physical size of the towers themselves being insufficient.

Your phrasing made it seem like the Oval's challenges were somehow greater, even comparable, to the ones faced by the ski jumps, which is that the former's only issue was capacity. While the latter is the ability to hold the event at all, in addition to capacity, better options, safety, etc. Not using the big jump, and hosting ski jumping in the summer on the regular jump is the only way COP could ever host a major ski jumping competition again.

[DiracSpike]

I definitely think it's surpirsing that the IOC is ok with an old arena. Hopefully that means they've seen the writing on the wall of cities becoming sick of their wish list and the costs it entails.

You really can't use the IOC ok of the dome as some kind of third party input that the Saddledome should be ok for the Flames though, as a two week tournament vs the prolonged home of an NHL franchise are apples and oranges.

[Roughneck]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

This is a huge piece of information in my opinion.

I can only imagine Ken King's reaction to such news

[Enoch Root]

To me, that comment screams of politicking. They want Calgary to bid (because they're getting desperate), and saying that, and thus indirectly supporting Nenshi's position, is likely designed to stroke Nenshi's ego and get him on board.

[Roughneck]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

To me, that comment screams of politicking. They want Calgary to bid (because they're getting desperate), and saying that, and thus indirectly supporting Nenshi's position, is likely designed to stroke Nenshi's ego and get him on board.

Also gets to throw a wrench in the NHL's position, which is a nice perk.

Of course it's politicking. That's what the IOC does. And they do it as good as anyone. They know which way the wind is blowing, and are smart enough to know who'd they rather take the heat on pushing for an expensive piece of infrastructure.

[CorbeauNoir]

Originally Posted by Roughneck

Your phrasing made it seem like the Oval's challenges were somehow greater, even comparable, to the ones faced by the ski jumps, which is that the former's only issue was capacity. While the latter is the ability to hold the event at all, in addition to capacity, better options, safety, etc. Not using the big jump, and hosting ski jumping in the summer on the regular jump is the only way COP could ever host a major ski jumping competition again.

I had no idea what the challenges were with the ski jumps. It's the entire reason why I asked the question in the first place. If they were apparently suitable in 88 I didn't see why they couldn't also be suitable in 26.

[OutToLunch]

Originally Posted by RM14

You are correct.. Interesting read here...

http://www.nelsap.org/ab/pigeon.html


Anyone know if ski jumps are dependent on natural snow?

You should ask the guys making snow at COP

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

To me, that comment screams of politicking. They want Calgary to bid (because they're getting desperate), and saying that, and thus indirectly supporting Nenshi's position, is likely designed to stroke Nenshi's ego and get him on board.

Do you honestly think this?

[Senator Clay Davis]

I think the fact that a poverty games might be the heavy frontrunner for this bid speaks to huge long term issues with the Winter Olympics. I think the Summer Olympics will always be fine, but it just seems like there will be fewer and fewer cities with legit interest in hosting the Winter Olympics. Maybe as others have suggested they should start thinking about a permanent rotation of 4-5 cities.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

To me, that comment screams of politicking. They want Calgary to bid (because they're getting desperate), and saying that, and thus indirectly supporting Nenshi's position, is likely designed to stroke Nenshi's ego and get him on board.

I think this is pretty fair. Not so much stroking Nenshi’s ego, but the realization that “requiring” a new arena would reduce chance of Calgary bidding. Why exactly does IOC care about bathroom lines or other benefits of a new arena?

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

This awful basterdization is a very quick mock up example- you use existing land by the Nordic Centre on the slope of three sisters. Accounting for some extra space I was more or less able to fit it in the cleft that 742 makes. You get the slope of the mountain to help make the jumps better, you can pour some more money into the Canmore nordic centre to revitalize it, and you don't have to touch the developable land that is in short supply.

More of the fact I would be shocked if Canmore sees any development for the Olympics. I am pretty sure they took the same position as Banff in that they don't want to do any sort of development for a 2 week event.

[Kjesse]

The suggestion that the IOC will inject US$925M to the host city is a game changer. I find it hard to believe however. I take it they have some equation where they are starting to share their licensing revenues with a host city as opposed to an outright cash injection.

The IOC and the NHL aren't exactly buddy-buddy these days, and while I agree there is an element of not stepping on Nenshi's toes by not demanding a new arena for the Olympics, it also is consistent with the IOC's approach to the NHL in general.

I still don't see where the province and the feds find the money, but if the IOC cash injection is real, that is a hard number to resist.

[RM14]

http://calgaryherald.com/news/politi...y-want-the-ioc

But the city is still working on a master plan for the Rivers District, embracing much of Victoria Park.

It’s the very plan Mayor Naheed Nenshi was talking about when he said an arena was likely, thereby prompting Calgary Sports and Entertainment to walk out, because from their perspective there was no progress.

But the plan kept moving along. It will go out for public review in early April and be finalized by the fall.

Susan Veres, senior vice-president of Calgary Municipal Land Corp., says the plan will likely include provision for a facility on the same site that was up for negotiation, south of 12th Avenue S.E.

If the Flames and the city get a deal, she says, the arena could just “slide in” to the overall development plan.

The plan itself is certain to make the whole area more attractive and valuable to developers.

CMLC has ably handled the East Village through some very hard times. This outfit has the expertise to oversee, or manage, building of the whole Rivers area.

Behind all this there’s a hint, never officially acknowledged, that CMLC could strike a deal with private companies to build the rink, or even do it for the city. The facility could then be leased to the Flames.

We should see some noise in April when the city releases the plan for Vic park that includes an arena site. Interesting part of the article is the rumour of a private developer interested in building an arena already.

[Corral]

Originally Posted by RM14

Dead-mans flats + Pigeon Mountain might be a good area. Dead-mans is dying to develop and Pigeon Mountain has an alpine site already carved out. Would not add to the chaos at the Nordic Centre.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@51.03028.../data=!3m1!1e3

Skogan pass is a major wildlife crossing route for the bow valley and we spent millions building an underpass for wildlife at deadman's flats with G8 money to help keep that route viable - i guarantee you there will be no development at Pigeon mountain or dead man's flats for an olympic bid.

the bow valley is overbuilt as it is ... hence any bid will have to use whatever facilities currently exist as is or renovated. No new footprints.

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by RM14

http://calgaryherald.com/news/politi...y-want-the-ioc



We should see some noise in April when the city releases the plan for Vic park that includes an arena site. Interesting part of the article is the rumour of a private developer interested in building an arena already.

But who? Maybe AEG. They own and operate a number of arenas already. Their AEG Live subsidiary is the second largest presenter of live music and entertainment behind Live Nation. Maybe Live Nation is looking to get into the arena game? They could partner with or purchase a local entertainment group and the CMLC to build an arena and develop out the entertainment district with associated properties like The House of Blues.